Dirt
by Ghost of Harrenhal
Summary: Even dishevelment suits her, he thinks, lips spreading into a smile on their own accord at the sight: Roland and Regina, mud covered and laughing as they splash on the puddles of last night's rain / Regina and Roland take a detour before bedtime and are suprised by Robin's appearance. Missing Year, Outlaw Queen & Dimples Queen, Fluff, Regina's POV, One-shot
1. Dirt

She nearly slides to the ground and lands on her ass when he makes a sharp turn to the right that catches her off guard. Roland giggles madly at_ almost_ fooling her and Regina grunts, a rough sound that's a poor imitation of the troll she's supposed to be, taking a moment to regain her balance _Smart boy _she thinks, lurching forward again. This time her fingers brush against his back, but she decides not to catch him, not yet at least, but the touch is enough to make the kid screech, a piercing, high pitched, sound filled with glee and then run even faster, though his tiny legs don't match his eagerness and soon Roland slides on the mud and falls on his back laughing even harder.

"I think it's time we go to bed now dear" she says, breathless, falling on her knees next to the boy and smiling down at him. "No, I want to splash more!" he cries, throwing his arms up so she can pull him back to his feet. Regina grabs his little hands and pulls him up and Roland promptly wraps his arms around her neck, nuzzles on her shoulder and she stands holding him against her chest.

Just as she gains balance he yawns, long and loud and Regina chuckles softly "It seems to me like you are plenty tired already little knight" she says, poking his ribs playfully making him wiggle in her grasp "I am a little sleepy" he admits and yawns again "But I don't want to sleep" he continues. She smiles and ruffles his hair "Little boys need sleep if they want to get big and strong dear" she points out, but something about his voice makes her think he might have ulterior motives for delaying bedtime "Are you scared to sleep Roland?" she questions and the boy simply nods without a word "Why dear?" she asks, a hand rubbing up and down his back soothingly.

"I miss papa" he whispers, and even with his curls clouding her sight as she breathes him in, in her mind's eye she can see those big brown puppy dog eyes as he says the words and feels stupid for not having realized this before.

"Honey he'll be back in two days, it will go by so fast you won't even feel it". Roland pulls back to look her in the eye "But what if something happens to him and he never comes back? Then I won't have a momma or a papa." His eyes are growing watery and she wants to bang her forehead against one of the tree trunks in the garden for not having noticed he was scared before.

"Oh Roland" she whispers, shifting her weight from one leg to the other when a fat tear spills _I'm an idiot_ she thinks before catching it with her index finger and brushing the back of her hand against his skin to clear off it's wet path "He went out with all the Merry Men and a handful more, to a forest he knows better than he knows you" She pokes his nose to accentuate the word _you_ and sighs curling a strand of his mud drenched hair on a finger as he pouts "He will be fine" she completes, and he nods but doesn't seem completely content

"I can stay with you until you fall asleep, would that make you feel better?" she offers, uncertain if that is really her place, but he lights up at the suggestion and says he would like that, so she returns the smile and puts him back on the ground.

"Come on, get going, I will pick up your shoes" She taps his back encouragingly, watches the boy wiggle halfway toward the exit then turns her back to him, shuffling through the mud in search of his dark green shoes. It's not an easy task, but she gropes and feels until she finds one foot and cries _Aha! _before diving back for the other. She doesn't get a chance to find it though because Roland's voice stops her.

"Papa?"

_What?_

"Papa!"

_Oh._

_He is early._

Her spine straightens instantly at the one word, eyes going wide, and it's no mistake because a beat after that Robin's voice echoes in the open space as well "My boy!" the sound washes over her, and Regina realizes Roland wasn't the only one who'd been worrying. "What are you doing up this late?" a pause, Roland's giggles return "And why are you covered in dirt?" and in spite of the laugh she can hear in his voice Regina worries for a moment that he will disapprove of her indulgence then quickly brushes off the though. He lived in the goddamn woods; _surely_ dirt is not a problem.

"Regina?" _Oh great, he's seen her _"Yes?" she answers, trying to keep her voice neutral and failing when the word comes out sounding like a squeak. She stands and turns to look at him, suddenly keenly aware of what she must look like: hair un-styled, in her night dress, barefoot and covered head to toe in mud. And as if she did not feel out of place enough the sight of him makes her heart _leap_ and she scowls at the ridiculousness of it fighting the urge to hit herself over the head.

"Roland couldn't sleep so he suggested we played a bit to get him tired enough for bedtime" she speaks perhaps too quickly to sound nonchalant and _Oh dear God she needs to get a grip _but Robin's smile only widens as he fixes her with a soft gaze that tugs at her spine but she is strong enough to at least not return the gesture.

"It's okay" he assures her and then "But I do hope you have a way to get him clean?" he chuckles, but she catches the apology that seems to seep into his words, like he's not sure if he can ask for her magic help. He can, of course, it is no trouble and with a wave of her hand Roland is enveloped in a cloud of purple smoke and emerges clean and giggling "Do it again!" he shouts tipping back and almost falling off his father's grasp.

She raises her hand again to clean herself this time, but Robin stops her with a cry of "Wait!" as he puts his son down and knees in front of him to level their gazes "Roland why don't you go ahead, I need to speak to the Queen alone for a moment and I'll soon be there to tuck you in" the boy nods, agreeing, and looks back at her one more time with a big wide grin that melts her heart and leaves her no choice but to smile herself before running back inside, little legs wobbling awkwardly as usual.

When her eyes land on Robin again she's still smiling, but only takes notice of her own expression when he smirks knowingly "Seems like someone's got you heart, your majesty" he comments pushing himself off the ground and making his way toward where she still stands inside a mud puddle "Maybe" she answers, once again trying and failing to seem uncaring and he chuckles at her poor attempt "Don't bother, he pulls at everyone's heartstrings"

When he crosses the line of trees just past the entrance stepping out of their shade and into the torch lights that surround the garden her breath catches at the sight, the slight curve of lips that still lingered from her memory of Roland fading slowly as she takes in his bruised face, slashed and cut in more places than she can count _How had Roland not noticed that? _The realization that he probably _did_ notice but had seen his father come home like that too many times already to still worry hit her not a split second later.

This is her first time though and she finds it difficult to act the same.

"What happened?" she frowns, concern marking her features as she tries to pull her feet from the mud making ridiculous sloshing sounds that actually anger her and she raises a hand again to rid herself of the dirt but before she can complete the spell his fingers wrap around her wrist and lower her arm gently before letting go "Hold on a bit" he whispers.

Now that he is up close she can see every gash marking his skin, none seem too deep, the most worrisome one is a red line oozing blood from temple to neck that she subconsciously reaches out to touch before thinking better of it and letting her hand fall away "What happened to you?" she asks, narrowing her eyes and to her dismay he chuckles "Am I mistaken or do you seem worried about me, your majesty?" she rolls her eyes _Typical _"Answer me" it's clearly a demand and the tone seems to throw him off as she knew it would, it is the first time he's ever heard her Evil Queen voice and it's hard not to smirk at the satisfaction of having at least someone to whom that side of her still hasn't lost its power.

"We were attacked, that is why the early arrival" he answers, seeming a bit conflicted at the perspective of just having followed an order "Flying monkeys?" she questions and he nods, confirming. Regina huffs out a frustrated breath "Green bitch" she mutters and he agrees again with another nod "It was some fight, but I killed two, the men got four more, no one is dead but…" he trails off and for a second she sees something dark flicker behind his blue eyes "A man lost his leg" _Oh._ "You think it's your fault?" it's blunt but she doesn't care and neither does he apparently, just scowls and lets his sight go vague for a moment like he's seeing something other than the present.

"I was leading the party" he answers after a few seconds "It _is_ my fault" _The damn code _she thinks and has to exercise some serious self control to keep from rolling her eyes "The only beings to blame are the ones who did the deed and the one who gave the order" she pauses, and looks for his eyes to lock their stares before completing "I would know, I've been both"

Robin opens his mouth to question but something catches his eye and his thoughts diverge "You are covered in mud" he points out suddenly, giving Regina a once over that makes her shift uncomfortably with the intensity of it "Well, you would too if you'd been running after a four-year-old in these puddles" she says defensively and he smiles "I think this is the nicer I've ever seen you look" their eyes meet again, and there it is, the softness of the way he's always looking at her, like she's his favorite thing _Absolutely ridiculous _she thinks, but feels her heart stutter traitorously all the same.

"Well, I can fix the leg" she says, to get herself out of this dangerous situation they always seem to find themselves in "Healing is not my strong suit but I can manage" he smiles so widely and so beautifully her breath catches "Would you?" and there it is again, the hesitation about magic "I would, as long as you brought the leg back" he nods, says they have and smiles that big grin again that makes her legs feel a little bit less steady.

"Well then, I better get clean and get going. Night thief" she says and means to walk away but he catches her forearm and she stops "What?" he takes a step backwards to face her again and with Regina barefoot their heights have a considerable gap that allows him to actually look down on her "Thank you for watching Roland" he says "You're welcome" she answers and then "Your hand will be dirty now" he looks at where he's still grasping her arm and lets go to look at his palm, true, it has a coat of mud now as well.

"Interesting" he whispers, grinning mischievously before reaching out and wiping some of it on her cheeks, the only bits of her that hadn't been tainted yet, and jumping back before she can react. "What did you just do?" she asks looking absolutely dumfounded and he starts laughing so hard his body trembles with the force if it "Don't you look adorable" he teases and her mouth falls open with indignation.

"I'm going to_ kill_ _you_ thief" she growls, her cheeks underneath the mud tinted pink with outrage and she raises a hand, waves it and then he is falling on the puddles himself, back hitting the dirt and she's there throwing mud balls at his front.

He wiggles trying to get away from her aim but the surface is too slippery so instead he grabs her foot and pulls it from underneath her body and Regina comes down, a mud ball still in hand but he'd managed to at least sit upright and breaks the worst of the fall by catching her waist.

"One assumes you'd have better reflexes" he teases again and she elbows his ribs, makes him let go of his grasp on her and she falls sitting on the mud as well. "Did you seriously grab my foot?" she asks, less anger now and more amusement and he shrugs "The opportunity presented itself and I took it" he says simply and she snorts a laugh "That was literally a low blow" she points out "I'm a thief what did you expect" he tries to push himself off the ground but his hand slips and he crashes down again landing flat on his back.

She laughs and the first thing that crosses his mind is that he'd do it again just to hear that sound one more time.

"You have a beautiful laugh" he can't help the comment as much as he knows it only draws her away when he says things like that, to soften the excess of honesty in his words though, he looks straight up and away from where she sits to let her take it as she wishes.

Regina doesn't answer and he doesn't mind the silence, had not expected her to say anything in the first place "I think we better actually get going now" he says after a few more moments of laying there in the quiet "And if you don't mind could you take care of the leg now, the man is in extraordinary pain" he adds, not sure if this is too much to ask of her "Sure" she mutters and he realizes she's withdrawn again and feels a pang of regret for not being able to hold his tongue.

"Okay" he whispers and starts to push off the ground more successfully this time and stands stretching out a hand to help her once he's on his feet. Regina doesn't take it as usual (he will keep trying though) and prefers to stand on her own. "I think we better get clean" she says and this time he doesn't stop her when she waves a hand and they both disappear in purple smoke and emerge mud-free.

"Let's get going" she says leading the way inside and Robin follows but she stops as they're about the enter the shades of the trees by the entrance "Wait" she turns to face him and stares for a few seconds reconsidering her decision before shrugging off her doubts and reaching to touch his cheek with her index finger.

Robin feels his skin ripple and warm at her touch,_ literally_, and soon the uncomfortable tingling of his wounds is gone and she lets go "We rolled on mud, it could've festered" she explains before turning her back on him again and continuing to walk. He smiles before doing the same.


	2. Gore

"This doesn't look good" she mutters to herself and the man's eyes widen, the despair in them intensifying and Robin takes a step forward to wrap his fingers loosely around her forearm - a warning not to frighten the wounded - "Can you fix it?" he asks, voice heavy with guilty again, and she turns to meet his stare, "I can" she says sounding certain, it _is_ bad, but not _that_ bad. She will manage as she'd promised so he nods at the reassurance and whispers "His name is Garrick" before stepping back and out of her way.

"I'll clean the stump, bind it, then I'll clean the leg, where is it?" another man in the back of the room steps forward with the limb wrapped in a white cloth stained with blood and she takes it from his hands then carefully starts peeling off the fabric. It's not a pretty sight; the skin is marred and bruised beginning to darken, there is marrow spilling and chunks of gore piling up where the thing was ripped off but still, _It will do_ she thinks though the maimed man doesn't seem to share her calm, flinching at the view then grunting in discomfort at the sudden movement though he lacks the strength to protest further and simply looks pleadingly at the Queen.

Regina waves a hand and a bucket of iced water appears beside where Garrick is laid down and the room gasps in unison, some with fear, some with wonder and others simply with surprise, it amuses her slightly as she brings the container closer to the edge of the bed where she is sitting and buries the severed limb in the cold to keep it viable with little ceremony, splashing some of the water onto the stone floors and inciting a fearful growl from the man who owns it before turning back to the stump.

"This part may or may not hurt, I suggest you suck it up as best you can and hope for the worst" she says it quickly before encircling the edge of the wound with her hands and strangling. The man screams loud and high pitched like a child and jerks upright with tears in his eyes and the crowd in the room takes a step closer, some draw their weapons and point them at the Queen but Regina remains unfazed, instead she stares at the weeping man and smiles with no amusement before saying "Congratulations, you will get your leg back _and_ be able to walk with it"

The pressure has blood oozing out once again so she takes a small bin from the bedside table and holds it underneath the red stream until Garrick's eyes start to droop closed "What the hell is she doing? She's gonna kill him!" a tall man with broad shoulders means to advance but Robin steps in blocking his path "She won't kill him, Barric" he declares, voice unwavering and the man halts, "She is here to make him walk again and if you do anything to get in the way of that you will have _me_ to deal with" it's a bold threat, Regina realizes, he is in numerical and physical disadvantage but killing four flying monkeys has seemingly earned the other's respect and Barric stands down a moment later as the others tuck away their weapons.

"I need bandages, clean towels, clean water, clean knives - sharp ones - also a spell book" she says, ignoring the tension in the room and placing her hand on the stump once Garrick loses consciousness completely while murmuring a spell that stops the bleeding "And for all of you, or at least most of you, to leave" she turns to look at Robin "_You_ get the spell book" she adds and then shifts her gaze to the only other woman present, Garrick's wife, who'd been sobbing quietly in a corner "You get the rest of the things from the kitchen, make sure they really are all clean for your husband's sake then come back, I'm assuming you will want to stay for the whole thing?" the woman nods in agreement and scurries off to do as instructed, the rest however remain still.

"What are all of you waiting for?" she asks, glancing around the room "We don't trust you" a short man with a long ginger beard answers, stepping forward "And we're not leaving Garrick alone with a witch" he adds puffing his chest in an attempt to look more threatening that makes Regina roll her eyes "You can pick one man to stay here then, along with the thief and the wife, that is it" the small man scowls and spits on a spot just by her feet "We don't take orders from you" the words sound poisonous and before Regina can react Robin has the man hanging by the neck against a wall "Apologize to the Queen this instant Ackerley unless you want to fly off that window" his eyes are wide and blue and deadly, he's not joking and a heartbeat later the men once again have their weapons draw and aimed at him.

"Oh please" Regina scoffs disdainfully "You are all like children" she says, upper lip pulled up slightly in disgust "Thief let go of Gimli there and get the spell book, it's in the south library on the table, red binding with a golden title in elvish and the rest of you out before I make you leave" the tone leaves no room for discussion yet there are a few more seconds of tension before Robin lets go of the bearded man who slips to the ground clutching his own neck and gasping for air as the others stand down "Gilbert stay here with the Queen and the rest of you, _off_. Barric you take him" Robin instructs pointing at the small man before turning to leave without waiting for a response.

The command is effective, the one named Gilbert, tall and slim with green eyes and a dark beard, breaks apart from the commotion to stand guard on a corner and big Barric picks up Ackerley by the collar and drags him out, followed by the others as Regina turns back to her work.

She assesses the situation again, the severing of the leg was sloppy, as expected, and she can see claw marks dragging from above the knee and into the cut, they're growing green and veined with the poison they've learned to expect from the multiple incidents they've faced over the last few months "Do you have antidote left?" she asks, turning to Gilbert who'd been watching his feet for the last couple of minutes making his head snap up at the question, eyes wide in surprise at being addressed by the Queen "Your majesty?" Regina rolls her eyes "Antidote? For the poison on the monkey's claws?" she repeats in a frustrated tone "Oh, yes" Gilbert nods coming out of his daze "We have some left from the hunt, I'll get it".

He crosses the room to the dresser and picks up a small bag untying the ribbon that seals it and hands it to Regina "It's all we have left; nearly all of us had to take it after the fight" he explains as she dips her fingers into the pouch and brings out the antidote: a bushy herb that spreads a strong pleasant scent around the room "We gave it to him already, is it not working?" Gilbert asks, taking a shy step closer to look at Garrick's wound "It's working he just needs more of it" she answers with indifference "This will do for now, but it's best if everyone gets started on refilling the stock as soon as possible" she pauses, looks at Gilbert "When the wife comes back go and tell the men to get more, _now_, including the Merry Men, understood?" he nods obediently and starts retreating back to the corner "Also, what is the wife's name?" she asks as he leans against the wall once more "It's Maven, your majesty."

They remain quiet as Regina empties the bin with Garrick's blood inside the bucket of ice with the leg then picks up a glass of water and dips the herb inside before boiling it with a fireball. Once the liquid is dark brown she pours half of its content in the bucket and sets the rest aside. "I thought he had to drink it" Gilbert comments nonchalantly when she moves away from the glass with the antidote "He will" she replies coolly with an annoyed sigh "You know, it smells good for something that tastes like dirt, he's lucky he doesn't have to be awake for it" he adds and Regina turns at the comment, an eyebrow raised in ironic surprise "He is lucky?" she inquires scornfully and the man shrinks, cheeks turning a discreet shade of pink as he averts his gaze and fixes it on the floor "That's not what I meant I-" but he spared any more embarrassment by Maven's voice as she re-enters the room carrying the supplies.

"I have what you asked for your majesty. Will you need anything else?" The woman's face is still tear streaked but the tears themselves have stopped spilling and she now carries a look of determination the Queen would not have pictured on the sobbing wench of earlier in the night "No, that is all, you may come and sit beside your husband now" Regina answers just as Robin also reaches the chambers carrying the spell book "Is this the one?" he asks lifting up the cover for her to see "Yes" she confirms and he lets out a breath in relief "There were dozens of books with a red binding on that table, couldn't you just magic what you needed here?" he questions and she rolls her eyes "Wouldn't it be convenient if anyone could just 'magic' spell books to themselves?" she bites back and he grunts in frustration at the sarcasm before going to the back of the room.

Regina glares until he makes himself comfortable leaning against a wall by Gilbert's side, then turns back to the wife "Give me the knife, Maven" the woman is surprised at being addressed by name and hesitates for a heartbeat before reaching for the blade and handing it over "What's to be done now?" she asks, voice slightly shaken by fear, but of her husband's fate or of the Queen, Regina can't tell "I'll clean the stump" she replies without inflexion before bending over the wound to start peeling off the rotten flesh.

It's not a glamorous job but she appreciates the hard work of scraping and ripping until the stump is raw and evenly shaped "Alright that's enough" she says once it's all finished, wiping a drop of sweat away from her temple with the back of a hand as she stands up "Let's switch seats" she commands and the other woman abides "Soak a towel in the bucket and wrap it around the stump while I take care of the leg" Regina instructs and Maven does as she is told, quickly and efficiently and _quietly_, which Regina particularly appreciates.

After a couple of minutes Gilbert pushes himself off the wall and heads for the door, stopping on his way out to ask if the Queen needs anything else before he leaves to gather the men "Just take the thief with you" she says, fishing the severed limb out of the cold and laying it across the bucket for support, her answer sparks Robin's attention and he opens his mouth to protest but she anticipates the move and interrupts before he can get any words out "I need everyone working on getting more antidote, so unless you wish to send your Merry Men into the forest on their own and at night I suggest you get going" Robin's mouth falls shut though he still seems to want to argue but comes up with nothing of substance to contradict the Queen so he nods once, seemingly resigned "Alright, but I'll be back" he declares before following Gilbert into the hallway.

Once they're gone Regina turns her attention back to the leg; it looks better after being soaked in the blood and antidote but there are still patches of skin that need to be removed so she dips the knife in iced water and starts the process again. It's quicker than working on the stump since the surface is cold and stiff and she is done in less than five minutes "Alright, there isn't much left, Maven, just soak another towel and repeat the process on the leg here while I find the spell that binds both parts back together" the woman nods and grabs the cloth, soaking it in the dark water of the bucket while Regina reaches for the spell book and starts flicking through pages until she finds the right one almost at the end.

It's not the hardest of spells but lack of experience has her reading the short instructions a dozen times over until she is certain of what to do "I need something of meaning to him, preferably a piece of cloth I can wrap around the reattachment with the bandages and preferably something with good connotations" she tells Maven and the woman immediately reaches for a red ribbon she has tied around her waist "It's from my wedding dress, I wanted to have a bit of color in it, you know, usually Garrick carries it around, but before the hunt I was so worried he gave it to me and told me not to worry because he would be back for it no matter what" a tear slips out the corner of her eye and she wipes it away turning to face her husband "Even if you couldn't get the leg back I wouldn't have cared, I'm just glad he got home in one piece" she whispers before noticing the choice of words and snorting a laugh "Or two pieces, that is enough for me too" she adds and smiles.

Regina nods, understanding, before taking the ribbon from the other woman's hands "This won't take long" she assures the wife as she removes the towels from the leg and stump and fits them together before wrapping the bandages tight around the joint "Put your arms forward with the palms facing up" Maven obeys without question and Regina warns her not to flinch for the next step "It's part of the spell" she assures the woman before taking the knife and slashing two thin lines on the skin just above Maven's wrists and tying the ribbon over the blood that leaks out "If it burns it means it's working so don't let go" the Queen says taking both of Maven's hands into her own and closing her eyes.

Regina calls on the magic, it's a delightful rush of power she can't afford to experience that often anymore at risk of getting lost in the darkness again but since it's for a good cause this time she lets it linger for a beat longer than it's strictly necessary before directing the energy toward the actual spell. It's not difficult to infuse the ribbon with healing properties, but it is hard to keep Maven from letting go of her hands, she had lied, blood magic burns and bites at the skin, ravages it, the woman was in agony and pulling away every second, she does not scream though so Regina keeps going and after a couple of minutes the spell is done and the Queen loosens her grip allowing Maven to pull away, cheeks glistening with fleshly spilled tears of pain "Did it work?" she asks sounding slightly breathless "It did" Regina confirms untying the ribbon from the other woman's wrists.

The skin beneath is no longer bleeding, the cuts are closed and healed and only two lighter lines indicate there was ever a wound there, the surrounding area however is colored an angry shade of red and covered in blisters "Does it hurt?" the Queen asks and Maven nods that yes, it does, so Regina calls on the magic once again before blowing over the aggravated skin for a few seconds with her eyes closed, when she opens them again Maven is staring down at her own wrists with an awed smile "It feels better" she whispers as a solitary tear of relief slides down the side of her face "Thank you" the woman adds with reverence and Regina nods and averts her gaze, uncomfortable with the gratitude.

"Tie the ribbon over the bandages and it's done, in three weeks you can take off the wrappings and then just ease him back into walking and make him drink the antidote when he wakes up" she recommends before standing up and turning to leave but Maven grabs her wrist and Regina is forced to stop "Your Majesty" the woman starts and stands to level their gazes "I don't know why you've done this… helped us. I mean I… I need you to know that I am grateful and so is Garrick and that there is nothing we can do to ever repay you for the kindness you've shown us today and If you ever- If you ever need anything- please ask. We will do our best to assist in whatever way we can." she ends in a smile and Regina finds she has no answer to that statement so she simply nods and gently pulls her hand free of Maven's grasp.

"Just don't let him force the leg before it's time" she says before turning her back on the woman and stepping out of the room.


End file.
